Fallen Phoenix
by Atlantean Pineapple
Summary: 6th Day. Johnny Phoenix's life fell apart when he found out he was a clone. He got kicked off the team. He locked himself in his apartment. He rarely had visitors. And the only one who seems to care is growing tired. Can he save himself? And her?
1. The Only One To Care

Disclaimer: I do not own The 6th Day.

Summary: Johnny Phoenix knows he is a clone, and has become unhealthily preoccupied with the fact that he died. He was kicked off the team because using clones was considered cheating. He locked himself in his apartment, and rarely received visitors. His best friend, Sentia, was the only one who seemed to care, and had been trying endlessly to bring Johnny Phoenix back to life. When she realized he was not willing to try to help himself in return, she gave him one last chance… That chance is now over.

_It was the big game… The team was counting on him… The whole world was counting on him…_

_**Yah, that's really going to help me concentrate, **__he thought to himself._

_He had the ball…_

_He was running…_

_CRUNCH!_

At exactly 2:20 in the morning, for the third night that week, Johnny Phoenix's eyes flew open in shock. Sweat made his clothes cling to his body and trickles of the pesky moisture slithered down his back, causing him to shudder.

He had fallen asleep in front of the huge TV… again. Johnny sat up and leaned forward, letting his aching head fall into his hands. The sounds of a football game flooded the room, streaming from his surround-sound stereo system. He heard his voice call the plays. He waited through a pause, and suddenly all he could hear was the thud. He had replayed this game so often that he never heard the commentary or the screaming crowd anymore. All he could hear was the sickening thud and the cracks and pops that followed.

Johnny lifted his head just enough to see the screen, as he did every time. He watched the man in the suit argue with the doctor. He watched as the doors were closed. He felt cold as he thought about how he had looked. He had looked like a dead man.

Automatically, the video restarted. Eventually, Johnny fell asleep once more.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The silence was what woke him. Even in his sleep, Johnny could recognize the silence. It meant the game had stopped playing. It meant he had a guest.

When a light turned on a few seconds later, he reached up to shield his eyes. Only one person would bother turning the lights on. Only one person would make it her first priority to turn his game off.

_Sentia._

"You awake?" Her voice was like ice.

Johnny slowly opened one eye, still using his hand to block the brightness of the morning. It was definitely Sentia. "Yes."

She watched him in silence for a moment. Apparently she wanted him fully awake and attentive for what she had to say. He had a pretty good idea what she wanted… She wanted to yell at him.

_Might as well get this over with, _he thought. So he opened his other eye and lowered his hand to his lap.

Sentia still just watched him with her emotionless blue eyes. She never made him squirm for the fun of it. Johnny sat up on his black couch, his guilty brown eyes pleading with her to just come out with it.

When Sentia spoke, she spoke in a whisper, but Johnny could hear her all to clearly in the stillness of his home. "You were doing it again, Johnny." And with that, she flipped her chocolate brown hair over her shoulder, spun on her heel, and stalked into Johnny's kitchen.

Johnny flinched when he heard the noise of pans being removed from their places in random, cavernous cupboards. Sentia was the only one who used them. Reluctantly, he pushed himself to his feet, his muscles protesting the entire way. The walk to the kitchen was hardly bearable. "Sentia, what are you…"

"I told you to stop this, Johnny! You promised me! And I came over to make sure you were still alive and I was _hoping_ to _congratulate_ you and there you are. How many times did you watch it? How many, Johnny! Did it help?" she screamed, becoming furious in her search for a clean bowl.

Johnny knew denying his actions would be pointless, and explaining his reasoning again would make it worse. "I had it on repeat for three days." He expected more yelling and screaming, maybe a piece of fruit flying toward his head, but what came out of her mouth was worse than any words or projectiles she might have chosen to throw at him. It was a sob. Sentia sank to the floor, crying hysterically.

Johnny panicked. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't even know what had caused this breakdown. He hurried toward her and knelt next to where she had collapsed. He reached out to pull her closer, but she slapped his hands away. Johnny sighed and persisted, and this time she didn't bother to stop him. As he gathered her in his arms, she leaned her head against his chest.

"I- I'm trying," she cried, "so hard!"

"Shh… I know you are, Sentia," Johnny whispered.

"I'm trying," she repeated in a voice choked with sobs.

"I know… But you don't have to worry any more. It's my turn. I promise I'll try harder this time… I promise."

The crying became quieter after that. It still took a while for Sentia to recover completely, but she was no longer in hysterics. She sniffed as she escaped his embace and shakily got to her feet. Johnny got off of the floor, watching her wearily, as if she might fall into tears once again.

"Go take a shower and get dressed. I'll make breakfast and then we can go for a walk," Sentia said gently.

"Are you sure you're…"

"I'm fine." She gave him a small, but true, smile.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Funny how you never outgrow pancakes, _Johnny thought as he ate in silence. Sentia sat across the small table, watching people wander the streets of the city below from the window she had opened. He never realized how dark it became in his home until she came and opened the curtains. His gaze had been fixed on his plate until she spoke. He glanced up at her.

"Anywhere you'd like to go, Johnny?" she asked.

"You choose," he mumbled, going back to eating.

"We could go to the park."

He knew she wanted him to make a decision, but he really didn't feel up to digging through his mind for another place to go, so he just said, "Sounds good."

Sentia merely nodded and looked back out the window, finishing her last bite. "Maybe we could go out to lunch, later, too."

She was pushing today. Then again, she could see none of this would get done if she didn't take matters into her own hands. He often felt guilty that this young, beautiful woman had to take care of him. Of course, when he made his guilt known to her, she had just smiled and told him that she didn't _have_ to take care of him, but she wanted to help him. She had also thanked him for the 'young and beautiful' bit, but had pointed out that she was the same age as he was. "Maybe." Though he said it as an option, he knew they would stop and eat, and he knew he would choose where. He could at least do that for her.

When he was done, she cleared the table and began washing the large pile of dishes, which he had dumped in the sink throughout the week, by hand. She told him it was better that way. Johnny came in and helped her. She washed, he dried, and if he had looked over at her, he would have noticed that a few tears, this time tears of joy, were trailing down her cheeks. But Johnny Phoenix was too busy concentrating on the first helpful thing he'd done in months to notice.


	2. Realizations at the Park

Disclaimer: I do not own The 6th Day.

The first thing that hit Johnny when he and Sentia left the building was pain. "Since when was the sun so bright?" he growled.

Sentia laughed quietly and reached into her purse. When her hand emerged, she was holding a pair of simple, black sunglasses. "I thought you might feel that way," she said, holding them out to him.

He smiled slightly and took them. Only when they were shielding his eyes from the extreme brightness of the day did he begin walking farther into the world he hoped had forgotten him.

"Don't be nervous, Johnny," Sentia said softly, grasping his hand in an attempt to calm him.

Johnny squeezed her hand slightly to reassure the worried woman. "I'm fine."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The park was mostly empty when they got there. Johnny guessed most people were at work, something he, a very rich man, didn't have to worry about. He didn't know how Sentia made a living. He had never asked. A while back, when the realization that she was always with him hit, he had offered her money. The offer, he knew, was a selfish one; he did it because he feared if she had to be working, she wouldn't be there for him anymore. She had refused, saying she didn't need it.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" She never made a comment like that without asking his opinion. She wanted to make him talk.

"It is," Johnny replied.

"You know what we haven't done in a long time?"

Johnny almost laughed at that. He never did anything, so how was he to narrow it down to just one thing? "Well, it has been a while since we joined a circus and dressed in tights and tutus…" He thought she was going to faint. _Honestly, it was just a joke. _Of course, it had been a while since he'd exercised his sense of humor.

She brought herself back to her senses in record time, smiling and saying, "Even though it's been so painful staying out of my tights drawer, that's not what I was thinking of."

He gave her a look that told her he wasn't making another guess, so she might as well just tell him.

"We haven't taken your bike out for a while… I wonder if it still runs," she said.

"It should. I let Mike take it out a couple nights ago," he replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You never used to let anyone drive it but you."

"What can I say, it was feeling neglected."

Sentia scoffed. "Or you just wanted Mike to leave you alone," she said, swinging their still connected hands up to whack him on the head.

"Or that," Johnny muttered, letting go of her hand and stuffing both of his own hands into the pockets of his black jeans.

"We should try it sometime. You can take me somewhere fancy and pay for everything just like you like." The last part was teasing. The first part was more pushing.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why what, Johnny?" She knew he wasn't just talking about the ride.

"Finding all these ways to go out… why are you doing that now?"

Sentia stopped abruptly and faced him. Uncertain, he stopped as well. "I am doing this, Johnny," she spoke slowly and clearly, so he couldn't miss a thing, "because, unfortunately, letting you stay locked up in your apartment, wallowing in your self pity, is not working. I know now that if I don't get you out of there, at any cost, you will die in there." Her words were not angry or sad, but strangely matter-of-fact.

Johnny looked at the bright green grass and thought about her words. She was doing it all for him. She always had put him before herself. She lost a couple of jobs because of him (though he didn't know what jobs). She had lost a fiancé because of him. She had even lost the chance to say goodbye to her dying sister because of trying to keep him alive. At times he wondered why she would continuously put him above everything else, but he could never find a reason why. _I've ruined her life,_ he thought, causing his brain to panic and destroy any thought that might have stopped him from saying what he said next. In a burst of depression, he asked, "Why do you even care?"

The next thing he knew, all there was in the world was her hurt, angry face and the stinging pain of his cheek. In his current state, all he could think to do was stare at her and touch the side of his face gently. As soon as her anger had come, it was gone and replaced with regret.

"I'm so sorry, Johnny, I…" She allowed her fingers to brush his raised hand.

Johnny closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he was smiling. "No. Don't apologize. I deserved that."

Sentia still looked a bit ashamed. "No, I just…"

Johnny quickly cut her off. "Let's go sit over there," he said, nodding toward a swing set.

Sentia followed his gaze and nodded. "Alright."

"I'm glad you're here, Sen," he told her.

Her face brightened with a grin he knew was brighter than the sun itself, for it shone clear through the sunglasses he wore and lit up his face as he returned the smile with one of his own.

It didn't matter why she cared, though he had a pretty good idea. He was just thankful she did.


	3. Adam & Some News

Disclaimer: I do not own The 6th Day.

"Hmm… What are you going to get, Johnny?" Sentia asked, peeking over the top of her menu. They were now sitting in a small Italian restaurant, having sat at the park for a while before Sentia convinced him to go see a movie with her.

Johnny looked up at her. "I'm not sure. I was thinking of the…" He took a moment to glance back at the menu. "…The three cheese ravioli. What about you?"

Sentia grinned, thankful she wouldn't have to choose his meal for him this time. "Chicken fettuccine alfredo, of course."

"Of course," came a vaguely familiar voice from behind him. He turned to face the man who had spoken. The tall man was glaring at him. It was Sentia's older brother. He had the same chocolaty hair, cut short, and the same blue eyes. "Hello there, Johnny boy. Finally showing your ugly face again?" he snarled.

"Adam!" Sentia scolded.

Adam let out a harsh laugh. "She's still speaking for you, huh?"

Johnny didn't say anything, just stared at him impassively.

"Go away, Adam," Sentia pleaded.

"No. I need to talk to you."

"We'll talk later. I'm busy now, as you can see."

Adam's face softened. "Please, Sen? It's about Taylor."

Sentia's eyes widened. "Why? What happened?"

Adam glanced at Johnny, who was quite possibly Adam's least favorite person on the planet.

Sentia sighed. "Johnny, I'm going to step outside for a minute. Will you order for me?"

"Of course," Johnny replied.

"That means you'll actually have to speak to someone besides my sister, Johnny boy. You know that, right?" Adam was ferocious when it came to Johnny, for he shared the belief that Johnny Phoenix ruined Sentia's life.

"Adam! If you want to talk to me, talk to _me._ Leave. Johnny. Alone."

"Fine," Adam barked, stalking out the door. Sentia held up one finger, signaling she'd be back in a minute.

Johnny watched her walk out after her brother. He smiled as he saw her yelling at Adam again.

He knew why Adam hated him so much, and to be perfectly honest, he didn't blame him a bit. Most of what Adam thought about him was true. But Johnny couldn't help the anger that bubbled up whenever Adam insulted him in front of Sentia. Not only did it hurt what little pride he had left, but it also added a few more pounds to the load of stress piled on her shoulders. He had to do something about that.

As he was pondering what he could possibly do, he heard the door open and close. Looking up, he saw Sentia walking hurriedly back to him. That was when he noticed the annoyed waitress standing at his table, staring at him with a hateful look.

"So sorry to keep you waiting, Johnny," Sentia said, taking her seat once again. She turned to the waitress. "Sorry. I would like the chicken fettuccine alfredo and… Johnny, what did you decide on?"

His voice was barely audible when he spoke. Sentia cleared her throat and he repeated himself louder. "I'd like the cheese raviolis."

Johnny had offended the waitress by annoying her, even if it wasn't intentional. They knew this because their food took an hour to come out, and when they did, both dishes were cold. For fear of being starved, they didn't request their plates to be heated. When they had finished eating, they sat for another half hour waiting for the bill. Finally, Sentia went up to the counter, but as soon as she got to her feet, it seemed there wasn't an employee in the place. She stood waiting for another twenty minutes before she felt someone put his hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Johnny… holding the bill.

"How long?" she asked.

"Just now," he answered.

Sentia took it and sighed. "It's wrong."

"Pardon?" Their waitress had appeared behind her.

"Wrong bill." Sentia was growing tired of this.

"Oh! I'm so sorry."

_Yeah, sure, sorry you have to do it right this time because we're standing here watching you,_ Johnny thought.

Sentia didn't bother being polite. She took the new bill and looked at it for a short while, calculating to make sure everything was right. She nodded and reached for her purse. Johnny scowled, remembering how she had told him this was her treat, and he couldn't argue because she hid his wallet.

When their meals were paid for, they hurried out the door. Sentia laughed. "You sure all you did was ignore her? Seemed more like you ran over her cat."

Johnny smiled slightly. "I didn't even notice she was standing there."

Sentia took his hand again and they began walking back to his apartment. "I'm staying at your place tonight," she stated suddenly.

Johnny turned to her, surprised. He had offered to let her stay quite a few times, but she had always refused, saying she was his friend, not his wife and she had her own home. "Why?"

"Because I don't trust you anymore, Johnny."

He stared at her, confused.

"You are sleeping in your room tonight and I am sleeping on the couch. I will not allow you to use your death as a lullaby. It has to end."

He thought he should be angry, but what he felt was a huge surge of affection for his best friend. He pulled her into a hug, and she returned the embrace after a brief moment of shock. She was his friend. She would always be there to help him through this. His thoughts returned to how he could possibly return the favor.


	4. The List & A Visitor

Disclaimer: I do not own The 6th Day.

A List For Sentia

_Relieve some stress._

_Take out to dinner on bike._

_Stop watching death tape._

_Go out more often._

That was the list Johnny scribbled out as soon as they got back. He was sitting at one end of the table, writing, and Sentia was sitting at the other end, resting her eyes as she hummed softly to herself. 

"What's that, Johnny?" she asked when he put the pen down and stared at the paper.

"Nothing," Johnny replied, folding the page and stuffing it into a back pocket of his jeans. The curiosity was plain on Sentia's face, but all she did was close her eyes again and rub her shoulder, beginning to hum again. 

Johnny had a sudden idea. He got to his feet silently, trying not to disturb her. He walked around the table to stand behind Sentia and placed his hand over hers. She stopped the small massaging movements and tilted her head back to look at him. 

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly. 

"Just relax," was his response. 

Sentia hesitated, but then lowered her hand onto the table and closed her eyes again. Her muscles tensed when she felt a hand on either shoulder. A huge sigh escaped her lips when Johnny began to rub. 

Johnny could feel the tightness, and as he massaged, he liked to imagine weight being lifted from her back. Already, number one on his list was being accomplished. After a few minutes, she indicated that Johnny didn't have to continue by saying, "Thank you, Johnny." But continue Johnny did, for another half hour. He stopped only when he realized she had fallen asleep. The new Johnny would have just sat back down. But for a little while, the old Johnny was back. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the couch, where he set her down. He left the room and took an extra blanket from it's place in a closet, then brought it back and laid it over her. If he had stood there a moment longer, he would have known his good deed had awoken her by the small smile touching her lips. But Johnny was sitting in the kitchen, putting a small 'x' next to number one on his list. He knew it wasn't much, but he had helped for a moment, so now he just had to wait for his next chance.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Johnny was asleep when Sentia opened her eyes a couple hours later. She hadn't even realized how tense she was until Johnny had come to her aide. Now that she was rested, she wondered why she had done that. Usually, he didn't notice much about her, and even when he did, he rarely did anything about it.

Someone knocked on the door and Sentia glanced at Johnny's not quite peaceful face before pulling herself to her feet. She would let him rest for now. She got to her feet and ran her hands through her hair as she walked toward the door. She opened it until there was a crack big enough to look through. It was Mike. "What do you want?"

"What are you doing here?" Mike asked in response, returning the annoyed look Sentia was giving him.

"Johnny and I went out to lunch."

"Right…" he said skeptically.

"What do you want, Mike?"

"I came to talk to Johnny. Where is he?"

"More like you came to take advantage of his situation… again. Go away, Mike. He's sleeping."

Mike displayed his true genius when he slipped her an incredibly believable, hurt look. "What? I would never take advantage of Johnny! How could you say such a thing?"

Sentia took in his spiky red hair and innocent green eyes and laughed humorlessly. "How's his bike running?" 

"He said I could take it out. And it runs _great_."

"Good, because he's going to be needing it soon. Now, I aready told you, Mike. Go away," Sentia said with false sweetness. 

"I said I wanted to talk to Johnny, Sentia, not you. Just let me in," Mike demanded, crossing his arms. 

"And I said he is sleeping, but I'd be happy to tell him you were here, and even happier to tell him you left."

"It's alright, Sentia," Johnny said with a yawn, having come up behind her. 

Sentia jumped and spun to face him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, let him in." Johnny reached around her and held the door open for Mike. Mike smirked at Sentia as he brushed passed her and into the brighter-than-usual apartment. 

"Wow, it's bright in here," Mike commented.

"Actually, it's dark in here. You're just used to your disgusting cave," Sentia said icily. 

"Ha ha, very funny," Mike sneered, flopping onto the couch. Johnny wandered over to stand in front of him. 

"Is there something you wanted?" he asked.

"Why do you both assume I want something more than your fabulous company?"

"Because you are a selfish, untrustworthy man who always has an ulterior motive," Sentia replied. 

"Please, Sentia, what motive could I possibly have?" The smile Mike sent her was not comforting.


	5. Awake

Disclaimer: I do not own The 6th Day.

Note: I finally feel I have a rough idea of where this is going so I can connect all the little dots. In this chapter, we get to see Sentia in a more personal, less selfless light. She is human, you know. ; )

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"So, Johnny, I hear you ventured into the great outdoors earlier," Mike commented from his seat.

Johnny merely nodded. Though he had agreed to let the other man in, he hadn't thought he would have to put up with his idle chatter. Usually, Mike's visits consisted of sitting, asking some sort of favor, and then promising to repay him when Johnny gave his consent.

"You weren't looking your best, man. Got the press going nuts. 'Elusive ex-football star reappears.'" Mike looked over at Sentia when he finished, enjoying her deer-in-the-headlights expression.

"What are you talking about, Mike?" she demanded in a quiet, aggressive voice.

"Oh, you don't know? Huh. It's all over the news."

Sentia narrowed her eyes, daring him to continue.

"You should check it out, Johnny," the red headed man said, not looking away from Sentia.

Johnny looked between the two, and he could've sworn he heard a growl come from deep within Sentia's throat. He caught the woman's eye and shrugged in a 'why not' sort of way.

Sentia crossed her arms, turning her head so she wouldn't see either of them.

Mike grinned when he heard Johnny's sigh and he reached for the remote. He selected the news channel he knew would be playing the story repeatedly throughout the day. They had to wait a few minutes before the woman on the screen declared that video footage of Johnny Phoenix, beloved quarterback, had been acquired at a local Italian restaurant.

_"And here it is,"_ she announced. Mike's smugness only increased when he saw Sentia looking back at the screen, obviously worried.

The crystal-clear footage showed Johnny sitting at the table, the waitress staring at him in annoyance. Then Sentia walked into view. There was no sound. The cameraman must have been standing outside. After a couple minutes of the two of them sitting there, mouths moving in silent conversation, the newscaster appeared again. _"Our informant made it known to us beyond any doubt that the woman sitting next to Johnny Phoenix is…" _

"Mike, turn it off," Sentia ordered.

Mike responded with a grin. "Why?" he asked innocently.

"Turn it off!"

"Make me!"

Johnny wasn't paying any attention to them. He felt that this might be an opportunity to find out a little bit about Sentia's life away from him. He was watching the program with intense interest.

_"… Sentia Cedrell. Apparently, she is an ex-employee of…"_

"Mike!" Sentia yelled it so loud that Johnny missed a bit of what was said.

_"… though it is not known what her current occupation is. It is suspected, however, that she is unemployed and is held up financially by Phoenix. Cedrell was, after all…" _

Sentia did the only thing she could; she grappled with Mike for the remote. When that failed, she tried to get up to take care of the problem manually, but he pulled her back, shoving her into the seat beside him on the couch. She knew what the reporter was going to say, and she knew Johnny wasn't ready for it. In all honesty, she wasn't ready for him to know, either. The fact that Mike now knew was bad enough, but Johnny… So she did what she had to. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Both Johnny and Mike covered their ears with their hands to escape the deafening noise. Sentia stopped, opening her eyes to look at the two men who were staring at her as if she were insane.

"What was that?" Mike exclaimed angrily, lowering his arms half way, as if he expected her to start up again at a moment's notice.

Johnny just stared at her, curious and confused. He had lowered his hands onto the couch.

_"…before that tragic accident."_

Sentia had been smirking in Mike's direction, but at those words, her eyes shifted to Johnny, and upon seeing the renewed dullness in his eyes, they jumped once again to the huge screen.

The words of the woman reciting the story were lost in the vastness of the silence as all three stared at the corner of the television, where a clip had started to play. Mike was watching it with morbid interest, a grin plastered to his face. Sentia sat in horror, not able to take her eyes from the scene unfolding before her. Tears formed in her eyes when the players on the field scattered.

Johnny, however, bore absolutely no expression. He had thought the day was good. He thought he had made the best of it despite the shaky start. He thought he had done some good; had started to wake up. Obviously he was wrong. This was not a good day. This was a cruel joke. Johnny hadn't been awake. He had only been dreaming. All the goodness and emotion and accomplishment he had felt that day had been nothing more than a dream. This, though… this was waking up.

At least, that's what the little voice in his head hissed. But through all the attempts of his mind to drag him back into his depression, he realized something. This was waking up. This was waking up because he did have a good day. This was waking up because he now new that he was strong enough to resist the pull of despair.

The sound that brought him out of his thoughts was a sob coming from beside him. He didn't know what had caused Sentia's tears this time, but he assumed his expression must have changed while he thought. When he looked at her, though, she seemed to be completely oblivious to everything that was surrounding her. Her wet eyes were glued to the screen, and her hand covered her mouth. This was wrong. Sentia never cried. Sure, she had cried that morning, but any other person would have crumbled under the weight she carried long ago. Now, she looked horrified. She looked like her world was crashing down around her.

_CRUNCH._

Johnny heard the crunch, but he didn't see himself falling. He saw Sentia's face fall, eyes dying, body shaking. He didn't see his own lifeless body on the stretcher. He didn't hear the reporter arguing with the man in the van. He did see Sentia get to her feet, raise her hand and slap Mike as hard as she could across his face, and then run into the bathroom, slamming the door. He did hear her emptying her stomach into the toilet. He did hear the wails ripping from her throat. For the first time, he heard her crying for her own broken heart.

He turned to Mike, who was holding a hand to his stinging cheek, and said, "You should probably go, Mike." His voice sounded menacing to his own ears.

"Right," Mike murmured, glancing at Johnny. "Tell Sentia we need to talk."

Johnny gave no sign to show whether he would or wouldn't tell the woman, so Mike just nodded and got to his feet, leaving the apartment with more than one glance at the bathroom, as if he feared Sentia would suddenly appear to strike him again.

When the door shut behind him, Johnny got slowly to his feet, completely ignoring the still rambling woman on the screen. He walked meaningfully over to the bathroom door. Yes, he was awake. This was waking up because he found he had a purpose… And all that was standing between Johnny and that purpose was the bathroom door.


End file.
